I want to use CAT5e UTP cabling to carry audio and video over distances of maybe 150 feet or so.

I plan to use the CAT5e cable as follows:

one wire pair for a composite video signal

one wire pair for the left audio channel

one wire pair for the right audio channel

one wire pair left unused for the time being

I may also use the CAT5e cable as follows:

one wire pair for s-video lumen channel

one wire pair for s-video chroma channel

one wire pair for the left audio channel

one wire pair for the right audio channel

I have had success in the tests I have performed, and believe it is because CAT5e is rated to 350 MHz, while the video signal is only a fraction of that bandwidth, and the audio channels are even narrower.

I plan to install runs of CAT5e between the source (VCR/DVD player or computer) and the display (TV or DLP projector) in dozens of rooms, and want the inheritor to be able to pick up where I left off without scratching his or her head any saying 'WTF?'.

Questions:

Are there existing standards for either of these applications, as far as which color wire pairs to use for what?

Are there any good sources for CAT5e wire-color-coded punchdown (110-style) keystones or wallplates that terminate into red/white/yellow female RCA jacks or red/white female RCA jacks and a female s-video jack?

Are you sending a differential signal? If not (and typically this application doesn't), you may pick up interference. That's why a shielded cable is typically used for this type of installation.
–
Brian KnoblauchJun 3 '09 at 14:06

3 Answers
3

Today's A/V industry has created the
need to send high resolution audio and
video signals over increasingly long
distances of cable. However, the size
and cost of the video cabling,
especially when long lengths are
involved, had created a challenge. As
needs and technology change, future
cable replacement can be quite costly.

A solution has been developed to
tackle this problem. By placing
"balun" adaptors at each end, signals
can be adapted to be effectively sent
over long distances of Cat5 cable.

Exactly this is the answer. Using a balun is the way to adapt impedances between devices. You could use an active balun (transmitter) on the tx side, and passive baluns on the input connectors of the tvs, through a parallel circuit of the cable.
–
Manuel FerreriaJun 3 '09 at 15:06

Actually all Ethernet network devices have baluns in them, to eliminate a voltage bias between two devices.
–
Brad GilbertJul 1 '09 at 3:57

Thanks for the idea, but I just want to use the physical CAT5e media to transport the electromagnetic signals over short distances.
–
eleven81Jun 3 '09 at 13:58

If you're indeed looking for short distances and a cheap installation, you can use CAT5e media. Be aware that AV cabling supports lesser distances and experience worse signal then network signals.
–
Antoine BenkemounJun 3 '09 at 14:15